june catch-all

[mehanizovati]

Who: viktor and others, open to all with some closed prompts in comments
What: june catch-all, some tdm prompts
When: june
Where: various

content warning; terminal illness, arcane season 1 spoilers



misc lab stuff and various fruits.

[viktor's lab in the willful machine is usually left unlocked when he's working inside. friends or acquaintances have likely been told they're welcome to stop by if they like, either to say hello or to get help with whatever a vaguely sketchy lab could handle. of course someone he doesn't know can just walk in too or knock. maybe there's a sudden downpour and that ajar door is tempting? go for it.

the lab has been slowly filling with all sorts of nonsense on the various tables- lasers! tasers! some weird machine hooked up to a blood gem? it is not unlikely to be walking by and hear some minor booming noise and either a curse in czech or a satisfied 'a-ha!' feel free to investigate.

this month there's something else too, a bowl full of fruit. all the fruits mentioned in the tdm in fact, there to be tested on though it looks more like they're just for guests if people are unaware there's some weird shit going on.]

Just a moment, make yourself at home. [he might say to guest. that would include eating some fruit, right? enjoy. probably not the raw lemon though, that's weird.]

[ooc; if you want to memshare i am game, my only hard limit on memories is no suicide stuff please. self sacrifice is fine! feel free to ask to make sure one is okay. if you'd like a viktor memory let me know any hard limits and what sort of memory you might prefer!]


gaze and time loops.

[having lungs mostly working for the moment is pretty great, in viktor's humble opinion. it means walking around the trench doesn't come with the risk of coughing up blood and attracting beasts and generally having a bad time, along with added perks like not getting so easily winded and going for longer. it also means he finds himself out longer than he usually would, which maybe isn't the best, as it turns out.

for example, making his way home through gaze and hearing the chilling cry of a beast, sighing and trying to make his way around what turns out to be the wrong corner. maybe that's where he sees your character before the snarling of a too close beast starts in earnest.

and then snap! they're both back about an hour, where they passed on the street. the look viktor gives is somewhere between resigned and 'fuck this, actually.'] There is a term for this. 'One of those days,' I think.



[ooc; if you'd like to wildcard or do something else you can pm me here or find me at dichotomy]

Comments

lab visit

[hearuthinking]

[By now Jason is pretty familiar with Viktor's lab. He makes himself home as invited. He looks around with interest at all the things Viktor is working on. The guy's always busy. Jason doesn't want to interrupt so he waits until Viktor turns to him]

Hey. If you ain't too busy, I remembered I owe you a song.

[He lifts up a harmonica meaningfully. Let's say one fell out of the many portals that were opening a while back]

[mehanizovati]

[it's one of those days where viktor's leaning over something, only vaguely waving at the door as he finishes up some final wiring and glances up, pulling his googles up his forehead. seeing it's jason has him offering a smile, but the bit about a song?

oh yes, he's been looking forward to that.] For this? I am not too busy. I just finished, actually, so I have plenty of time to experience the harmonica properly.

[hearuthinking]

I figured. First, I'm gonna play a real song, just to warm up.

[And with that, he starts playing "My Darling Clementine". It's a simple tune and he stops after two rounds]

What do you think?

[mehanizovati]

[viktor's never really heard a harmonica before, or at least beside a few bars played by children in piltover running by with one. he's a little surprised that the sound is... well, nice. like maybe it isn't really just more of a joke instrument for kids than an actual one.

his lips quirk as he says,] I have to say, I'm already impressed. That was warming up? You sold yourself short before.

[hearuthinking]

[He smiles] I might've been practicin' a little.

And I wanted to play a real song first before the vampire thoughts. Not sure if you're gonna make sense out of any of this, but here it goes.

[He plays again, but this time there doesn't seem to be any sort of rhythm or melody. The notes vary from long to short, high and low pitch, fast and slow. "Messy", as Jason had described it. He stops after a moment]

That's the best I can remember it.

[mehanizovati]

Ah, that would explain it. Still impressive, you know.

[but vampire time, and he listens carefully, a faint frown at the chaotic nature.]

Fascinating. I wonder if the language wasn't in the pitch rather than the sound. It's so chaotic it somehow feels there must be an intent there we cannot unwind.

[hearuthinking]

When me and Salim were walkin' around, we came across this... instrument, I guess? It was this circle with lots of little holes, and when I moved it around it made sounds. Salim thought it was their language-- the sounds.

[A beat] That's why the thoughts I could hear were just sounds. If your language is music, that's how you'd think, right? And it was all fucked because the creature was fucked up. Because it was infected.

[He looks to Viktor to see if the other agrees]

[mehanizovati]

That is true. I often think in my first language- I suppose that would also confirm it is a language. Why else would it be so solidly in their minds?

[interesting. he wonders if one of these vampires could ever awaken as a sleeper then.] It is a shame you could not find a way to communicate with them. I would have been interested in hearing what they have to say about the whole affair.

[hearuthinking]

Don't know if it would help. [He examines the harmonica in his hand glumly]

One of my guys got infected. Don't know how or when, but by the time I saw him he was totally fucked. Had horns and sharp teeth. He attacked me. I held him off, called his name, but he just kept tryin' to get me.

[He squeezes the harmonica tight in his grip] I had to stake him.

[mehanizovati]

People can become these creatures? I... suppose that does fit in with vampire lore, at least as I know of it.

[still, he wasn't really expecting it given just how intense the change must be, unless this infection was something else. horns and sharp teeth? it didn't sound unlike beasthood.]

My condolences, Jason. I genuinely cannot imagine being forced into such a situation.

[hearuthinking]

At least he's at rest now. Bein' trapped like that... He deserved better. They all did. Even whatever those other things were before they were infected.

[mehanizovati]

Why were you in that area exactly? Was it eh... a deployment, I think they call it?

[hearuthinking]

Yeah, I was deployed to Iraq about two years ago. We were in that area specifically because there was this fancy satellite system that claimed there was an underground silo full of weapons.

I think it might've just picked up equipment left behind by these explorers from the 1940's. Or some other shit we found that I think was from whatever the vampires were before they got infected.

[mehanizovati]

I wonder how that report back would have gone. Not weapons but vampires- I have a hard time imagining it would be easily believed. [at least jason's world seems like a less odd one than some where it'd probably be expected.]

[hearuthinking]

Tell me about it. Before I got here, I could hardly wrap my head around it, and I was fuckin' there.

[He's quiet for a moment. Then:] You wanna hear another song?

[mehanizovati]

And thrown in with new monsters. [viktor sighs, before glancing up. would he? obviously.]

Please. What other songs do you know on it?

[hearuthinking]

[He gives a humorless smile at that. Out of the frying pan, into the fire. His smile grows more genuine as he talks about the songs he knows]

Mostly kid's stuff. "Mary Had a Little Lamb", "Row Your Boat". "Taps", of course. That's the song we play at the end of the day and military funerals.

[mehanizovati]

Ah, like nursery rhymes? I haven't heard of those but we have a few. 'Friend across the River,' I don't imagine you've heard that one?

Hm, I'd like to hear Taps, if you do not think it is too depressing.

[hearuthinking]

No, but I'd like to hear it sometime.

[He shrugs] It's all right. Like I said, we play it at the end of the night, too.

[He takes off his hat before he starts to play. When he's done, he sits in reflective silence with his hat still off. It's a rare thing, him without some sort of head covering]

[mehanizovati]

Ha, I am not sure I am enough of a singer for that.

[and he sits back to listen, finding the tune really did fit it's apparent function. in this case heralding endings, he supposes, it had that poignant edge. maybe more so he's a little surprised jason took off his hat, but he assumes that's out of respect for the song.

this is probably the first time he's seen him without his hat? ram heads don't count.] Does that song have words as well?

[hearuthinking]

[The hat goes right back on after a moment. He's given the song its due respect]

Not really. There are a couple versions, but no official words. You want me to sing for you, too?

[He looks amused by this. Singing is not a talent anyone has ever encouraged in him]

[mehanizovati]

[and viktor has seen the cryptid that is jason's hatless head. thank you, taps.]

We could trade, you sing yours and I will sing mine. That way there is equal embarrassment to go around- unless you are secretly an excellent singer and I am the only fool.

[hearuthinking]

[He's quiet for a moment. It's not as exposing as talking about his shitty past, but it still feels like an exposure of himself. He finally huffs out a breath and sings. Excellent he is not, but he mostly stays in tune, at least]

Day is done, gone the sun
from the lake, from the hill,
from the sky.
All is well, safely rest.
God is nigh

[mehanizovati]

[in a way viktor's a touch surprised he agreed. it is an odd exposure, in a way, and he certainly feels no inkling to tease or chuckle as he listens.]

I was somehow expecting something more florid, perhaps because of the impact of the melody. This is... it is a good song. Simple in the right ways.

And you aren't a terrible singer either. [his lips quirk there- it's true, he stayed in tune which many cannot say.] Far more musical talent than I.

[hearuthinking]

[He smiles a little]

You know that means it's your turn now.